Use of solids for buoyancy control in deep submergence applications

ABSTRACT

A LOW ENERGY BUOYANCY CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A DEEP SUBMERSIBLE VEHICLE EMPLOYING A PLURALITY OF DISCRETE BUOYANT BODIES IN A NON-PRESSURIZED, AMBIENT WATER-CONNECTING TANK, WITH MEANS FOR CONTROLLABLY RELEASING THE BUOYANT BODIES TO DECRESE BUOYANCY OF THE VEHICLE.

Sept. 20, 1971 R. J. DZIKOWSKI 3,505,670

USE OF SOLIDS FORBUOYANCY CONTROL IN DEEP SUBMERGENCE APPLICATIONS Filed July 25, 1959 g l I 5 I 65 I 'I I, 53 CONTROL PANEL INVENTOR. FIG 4 RIC/MR J. DZ/KOWSK/ United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 114-16 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A low energy buoyancy control system for a deep submersible vehicle employing a plurality of discrete buoyant bodies in a non-pressurized, ambient water-containing tank, with means for controllably releasing the buoyant bodies to decrease buoyancy of the vehicle.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Prior art attempts to control buoyancy in submersible vehicles have employed expensive, high energy-consuming systems utilizing buoyant hydraulic fluids which must be pumped. Such systems require considerable power and large weight and volume in relation to the amount of buoyancy control provided. The power, volume and weight penalties are exemplified by the need for additional batteries, large containers and extensive piping and valving, all of which add weight to the vehicle, thus requiring buoyancy capability for that added weight. Further, such prior art systems have considerable complexity leading to less reliability of components such as pumps, valves, couplings, joints, batteries, etc.

SUMMARY OF PRESENT INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided for a deep submersible vehicle a very simple arrangement of buoyancy control employing discrete buoyant bodies such as hollow glass microspheres confined as floating elements in a container open to and partially confining ambient water. Simple gating means are located at the upper end of the container for controllably releasing one or more of the buoyant bodies at a time into the ambient water outside the container, thereby decreasing the total buoyancy of the submerged vehicle as desired. Similar or well known means for releasing lead shot may be employed to increase the vehicles buoyancy in conjunction with the present invention.

Because of the simplicity of the present arrangement, total system energy of the vehicle is conserved even at deep depths. For example, the only power required is that for operating the gating means which itself may comprise a simple solenoid actuated detent remotely controlled from within the pressure hull.

Accordingly, among the objects of the invention are the provision of:

A simple and reliable, low power buoyancy control arrangement for a submersible vehicle;

An improved buoyancy control arrangement eliminating need for apparatus requiring high power, weight and volume;

A buoyancy control arrangement particularly suitable for deep submergence vehicles; and

Simplified buoyancy control means for decreasing control means for decreasing buoyancy of a submersible vehicle without need of piping, pressure-walled containers, pumps, valves and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Reference is now made to the drawings in which like numerals represent like parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of a deep submersible vehicle employing the present invention for buoyancy control;

FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 are views in cross-section of respective embodiments of the novel buoyancy control arrangement according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION Referring to FIG. 1 a deep submersible vehicle 11 operating in ambient water has pressure withstanding inner compartments '13 for operating personnel and a faired outer hull 15 of thin Walls which typically houses equipment in an ambient sea Water environment, such equipment being remotely controllable from within compartments 13. Also mounted within or without the hull 15 at one or more locations therein are buoyancy control means 17 generally indicated as including an upper tank or container 19 containing buoyant elements and a lower container 21 for containing negatively buoyant elements. (The term buoyant as used herein refers to elements of less specific gravity than that of the ambient water, and negatively buoyant refers to elements of greater specific gravity than that of the ambient water.)

Each of the containers 19 and 21 may be attached to the bull in any suitable manner, and as shown are so attached via brackets 23. Ambient sea water is in intimate contact with the containers 19 and 21. Means for effectuating buoyancy control are generally indicated in FIG. 1 by a control panel 25, located in one of the compartments 13 and by respective control lines 27 and 29 extending therefrom to the working ends of the containers 19 and 21.

Referring to FIG. 2, the embodiment of the present invention shown therein is indicated as having a container 19a. Container 19a may thus be employed in FIG. 1 as container 19. The container 19a is generally bottle-shaped, having an open top adjacent a narrow neck 31 and at its bottom an opening 33 admitting ambient water. A plurality of discrete buoyant elements 35, each small enough to pass thru the neck 31, are located within the container and are forced upward by their own buoyancy in the ambient water within the container. Each of the elements 35 may be composed of any suitable buoyant material, preferably of rounded or spherical shape and capable of withstanding the high pressures at deep depths. For example, each element may be a hollow glass or steel microsphere, or solid microspheres composed of essentially non-Water-absorbing plastic, wood, syntactic foam, and the like, preferably non-corrosive in sea water.

At the neck 31 of the container 19a there is provided a transverse hole 37 for receiving a transversely reciprocating spring biased solenoid operated detent 39 of any suitable well known construction. The detent 39' may be actuated against the spring by means of mechanical linkage or by means of a solenoid 41 of watertight construction. The solenoid is energized to release the elements 35 singly or in group sequence by means of leads 43 which may extend, in the manner of the control line 27 of FIG. 1, to control panel 25. The solenoid/detent construction is not indicated in detail, it being understood that such arrangement is well known in the art. Of course, any other suitable well-known means may be employed for dispensing the elements 35.

The embodiment of FIG. 3 employs an elongated container 45 open at the top and containing buoyant elements such as hollow spheres 47 arranged in a single stack thereby insuring against jamming during dispensing. Ambient water enters and fills the container 45 via an inlet 49. The spheres 47 are forced upward against the bottom of the detent 39 by their buoyancy in the ambient water and thus decrease the total buoyancy of the vehicle 11 when released singly or in sequence as a group. The spheres 47 may be of any suitable size depending upon the desired gradient in total buoyancy of the vehicle in relation to the release of each sphere. The arrangements of FIGS. 2 and 3, for example but not by way of limitation, may be employed concurrently, one acting as a fine buoyancy control employing very small microspheres, and the other as a coarse control employing larger buoyant elements.

The arrangement of FIG. 4 employs a container 51 of generally rectangular transverse cross-section having an ambient water inlet 53 at the bottom thereof. A stack of wafers 55 each composed of any suitable buoyant material is positioned in the container. The top of the container is open enabling escape of the elements 55 due to their buoyancy.

A pair of solenoid/detents are employed in the FIG. 4 embodiment. A first solenoid/detent 57 is located at or near the top of the container with its detent 59 normally engaging via a transverse hole of the container the upper surface of the topmost wafer 55. A second solenoid detent 61 located essentially opposite to detent 59 has its detent 63 normally disengaged from the wafer stack. As indicated by the broken lines, when the detent 59 is withdrawn to enable escape of the then topmost one of the wafers, detent 63 is actuated to engage, via a hole in the container, the next wafer to insure controlled release of only one wafer or a predetermined number of wafers at a time, as desired. A control panel 65 of any suitable well-known arrangement may be employed to selectively control energization of the respective solenoids 57 and 61. For example, if detents 59 and 63 are each spring biased to engage the Wafers when their respective solenoids are off, then a simple switch energizing one solenoid while the other is oil may be employed to afford release of the wafers singly.

It is understood that the arrangement disclosed herein while primarily intended for deep depths may be employed to afiect and control the buoyancy of any watercraft having submerged portions. Each and any of the embodied arrangements may be employed in several locations of the craft and may be used with other buoyancy controlling means to effect overall upward or downward movement of the craft. The sizes of the various containers and their buoyant elements may be varied to suit any desired gradients in buoyancy.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of controlling the buoyancy of a submerged water craft comprising the steps of:

mounting a plurality of positively buoyant elements in at least one compartment of the submerged craft said elements being arranged in said compartment in a non-uniform manner; and

decreasing the buoyancy of the craft by controllably releasing a portion of said buoyant elements into the surrounding ambient water, thereby allowing said craft to descend deeper into the surrounding ambient water.

2. Buoyancy control apparatus for a craft submerged in surrounding ambient water comprising:

container means attached to the craft and open at its top and bottom to the ambient water whereby the ambient water fills the container;

a plurality of discrete buoyant elements located within the container in urging relation toward the top of the container due to their positive buoyancy thereby exerting a positive lifting force on said submerged craft; and

gating means disposed in relation to the top of the container for releasing one or more of said discrete buoyant elements into the surrounding ambient water whereby the positive lifting force exerted on the submerged craft by the positively buoyant elements is reduced allowing said craft to descend deeper into the surrounding water.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said gating means comprises solenoid operated detent means.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein each of said discrete buoyant elements comprises a rounded body.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein each of said discrete buoyant elements comprises a generally flat panel composed of buoyant material, and wherein said container means comprises hollow body means of internal dimensions complementary to the outside dimensions of said panels to thereby confine said panels in stacked relation therein.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein each of said discrete buoyant elements comprises a hollow microsphere of glass.

7. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said container means comprises tube means and wherein the plurality of rounded bodies is arranged in stacked relation therein.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said gating means comprises a plurality of solenoid operated detent means arranged to release said panels singly.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,180,366 4/1916 Asbury ll416.4X 3,195,493 7/1965 Lacam et al. 1l416 3,356,056 12/1967 Lehmann ll4--17 OTHER REFERENCES U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, August 1964, page 62.

TRYGVE M. BLIX, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 9-8 

